US2674344A - One-shot lubrication distributor with feed regulation by air chamber - Google Patents

Description

April 6. 1954 1 P. E. MALERME ONE-SHOT LUBRICATION DISTRIBUTOR WITH FEED REGULATION BY AIR CHAMBER Filed Feb. 10, 1949 NLQ 2 72 Patented Apr. 6, 1954 OFFICE ONE-SHOT LUBRICATION DISTRIBUTOR WITH FEED REGULATION CHAMBER BY AIR Paul Eugene Malerme, Saint-Leu-la-Foret, France Application February 10, 1949, Serial No. 75,688

Claims priority, application France February 24, 1948 3 Claims. 1

My invention refers to improvements in distributors with feed regulation by air-chamber for a one-shot lubrication system.

It is well known that in this system of lubrication, several distributors of this kind ar assembled on the main feed pipe close to the parts to be oiled and are each set for a regulated output corresponding to the discharge that has to be supplied. The oil is delivered into this pipe by pump and the distributors feed it into the branch pipes.

Each distributor is provided with an enclosed space that connects with an air-chamber and there is a single double-sided valve, moving in this enclosed space, that opens and shuts by turns the opening in the inlet channel for oil and the opening in the discharge channel for the oil. This valve is forced, against the action of a counter-checking spring, by the pressure of the oil delivered by the feed pump so that the inlet opening for the oil is uncovered and the outlet opening is sealed, whereby this oil goes into the air-chamber, which is the only exit available for it, while compressing the air contained therein. When there is no longer any pressure from the pump, the valve moves in the opposite direction and the ensuing expansion of the air forces the oil through the outlet passage. The airchamber plays th part of a feed regulator and the proportion delivered is a factor of its cubical content.

The amount of the shot of oil is adjusted at the beginnin and any change in this involves a corresponding modification of the air-chamber.

Devices of this kind, such as they have been made up to date, show certain inconveniences:

(a) The oil required for filling the air-chamber travels via the ring-shaped clearance that there is between the valve and the wall of the enclosed space in which the valve moves. The result of this is that the speed of delivery of the valve and the pressure to which it is subjected until the exit opening for the oil is completely blocked, are influenced by the viscosity of the oil on the one hand and the speed of the oil stream on the other hand.

If an easily flowing oil, therefore, is used, the speed factor plays the leading part; otherwise there is a danger of seeing the valve subjected on the one side to the pressure and on the other side to the effect of the counter-checking spring with the result that the valve is held up and does not close the discharge outlet at a time when the oil inlet is still open,

Then the air-chamber does not become full and the measuring of the shot required does not take place and as there is at once a fairly large flow of oil to the discharge outlet, there is liable to be for that reason superfluous lubricant at certain of the spots to be oiled. So, in order to get proper working under these conditions when a highly fluid oil is used, the pump must have plenty of power and this is not always easy to obtain, for instance when pumping is done by hand.

(b) If there are air bubbles remaining in the main feed pipe, they are compressed there and when the pump is shut off, they expand and keep up in this pipe and in all the distributors of the system connected up with the feed pipe a pressure that acts against the release of the counterchecking spring and, forces the valve against the discharge opening. The distributors are thus shut off and lubrication ceases.

My invention aims at the elimination of these inconveniences and the improvements, that form its object, enable a faultless lubrication to be attained at every spot where oiling is necessary, without the danger of any lack or excess of oil, whatever may be the character of the oil used and the type'of pump that is employed for feeding the system.

According to these improvements, my invention is characterised mainly by the following arrangements that may be adopted singly or combined together.

1. The double-sided valve of the distributor that opens and closes in turn the inlet and outlet openings for the oil, is fixed rigidly with an extension that sets up a resistance at the opening of the outlet passage for the oil towards the spots to be lubricated, which resistance is intended for preventin the oil from flowing into this passage before its opening is closed by the valve and for thus ensuring the delivery into the air-chamber of all the oil delivered by the pump.

2. The double-sided valve is formed by a movable set up of which the lowest part constitutes the actual valve and extends round the outlet passa e of the oil under the form of a hollow cylindrical frame inside which the oil must enter in order to reach this passage and that slides in the valve chamber with a very slight amount of clearness that sets up a resistance to the flow of the oil, so that the oil enters the cylindrical frame only when the ports in the latter are on a level registering with that of the connecting passage between the valve chamber and the airchamber, which only takes place when the valve reaches the end of its travel and closes the inlet opening for the oil.

3. The double-sided valve extends towards the outlet passage under the form of a rod sliding with a certain amount of play, that is advisedly not very appreciable inside the end of the passage and setting up a certain amount of resistance to the inlet of oil into the opening of this passage.

4. The distributor is built and assembled on the main feed pipe so that the inlet opening for the oil is arranged at the foot of the valve-- chamber and underneath the level of the connecting passage between the valve-chamber and the air-chamber while the outlet openin for the oil is arranged on top of the valve-chamber so that any air bubble conveyed by the oil, reaches the top of the distributor and may escape either through the outlet passage or towards the air-- chamber through the passage connecting the latter with the valve-chamber.

My invention takes in other auxiliary arrangements, that will make their appearance in the specific description given hereinafter.

The following disclosure, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings that show several ways of carrying the invention into effect Will provide a clear understanding of 'my invention; In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a distributor the feed of which is regulated by an air-chamber of the pattern in use heretofore.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of 'a distributor fixed up according to one method of execution of the invention with a movable ported set-up.

Figure 3 gives a vertical section of a distributor showin another method of execution with a rod engaging the outlet passage.

A standard prior type of distributor with feed regulated by air-chamber is shown in Figure 1.

Oil delivered by the feed pump comes through the main pipe A into the valve-chamber and leaves through the outlet passage B. The airchamber used as a feed regulator is shown at C. The incoming oil forces down the valve D made of plastic material that uncovers the inlet opening and the valve continues downward until it closes the opening of the outlet passage B. As the oil has no outlet escape it rises in the airchamber C while compressing the air contained in the latter; when the pump is shut off, the valve spring-loaded at E comes back to its original position: it opens B and closes A again. Atthis particular instant the expansion of the air compressed in the air-chamber forces the oil through B to the various points to be lubricated.

Such prior devices show inconveniences as brought out above. It will be seen more particularly from the general arrangement of the device, that the air bubbles collecting in the main ipe A cannot find a way out from the distributor, since naturally they rise and set up pressure in the valve-chamber that prevents the proper working of the distributor as disclosed hereinabove.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the body I of which the inside constitutes the valve chamber, is provided with the oil-inlet passage 2, a passage 3 connecting it with the air-chamber [5a and an outlet channel that extends inside said body as a pipe 8, the plug lBa being provided for the same purpose as plug l6 described below in connection with Fig. 3.

The movable gear constituting the valve is made up of a light frame 5 of some light alloy in the shape of a hollow cylinder of which the head is fairly thick and carries two plastic discs or washers; one of these II is located inside and intendedto press on the opening of the pipe 8, while the other l2 on the outside has the duty of closing the inlet opening 2. The inside disc II that is subjected to strong pressure is made of much tougher material than the outer disc [2 that has only to stand up to the pressure from the counter-checking sprin I0 that is used as a return spring and holds the disc I2 pressed against the opening 2 in the inoperative position. This lower portion of the movable gear constitutes the actual valve.

The-upper portion of the cylinder that surrounds the outlet pipe 8 has an outside diameter very nearly equal tothe inner diameter of the valve-chamber 9, so as to leave a very small clearance between it and the valve-chamber. The

lower portion of the cylinder on the other hand has an appreciably smaller diameter than that of the valve-chamber 9. At the foot of the upper portion of larger diameter is arranged a circular groove 9 at the bottom of which are cut ports I that enable the inside of the cylinder to communicate with the valve-chamber 9.

The device is shown in the drawing in its inoperative position, with the opening 2 closed, the opening of the tube i3 uncovered and the opening of the passage 3 concealed by the upper portion of larger diameter of the movable gear or cylinder. But in this position the ports '5 are exactly opposite the passage 3. At this particular instant there is no more oil coming through 2 and on the other hand the air compressed in the air-chamber by the oil delivered therein, pushes out the oil that then escapes through the pipe 8 to the particular spot to be lubricated. The oil will follow this track quite easily since it is the line of least resistance, on account of the fairly great counter-resistance put up through the very narrow path between the cylinder and the valve-chamber 9.

When the pump starts up, the oil entering through 2 lifts the valve while compressing the spring [0, and enters the valve-chamber 9, but is unable even in a very fluid state to escape through the very small clearance between the cylinder and the chamber 9. There is, therefore, a very powerful thrust on the valve, since there are so to speak no leakages, even if the pump stroke itself is not particularly energetic. There is thus a very quick closing of the pipe 8 and the disc I l is pressed very strongly on its opening. Now, by raising the portion of the cylinder of large diameter, the passage 3 is uncovered, while on the other hand the ports I are covered by the wall of the valve chamber 9. The oil coming in under pressure through 2 is forced through the passage 3 into the air-chamber.

When there is no longer any pressure from the oil, the spring l0 brings the gear to its first position as explained above and as illustrated in Figure 1. The operation is carried out as outlined above; the oil goes out through the pipe 8 and the cycle starts all over again.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3 the valve is formed merely by a flat metallic plate l3 carrying two plastic discs I I, I2 of different hardnesses as explained for the previous example. The frame or plate [3 extends under the form of a rod N that enters with a certain amount of play, that is preferably not very appreciable, through a certain length inside the pipe 8. The air-chamber will be seen at I5, and the plug [6 is used to block the passage 3 after the latter has been drilled through.

The operation of a device in this shape is simplicity itself. The rod l4 that takes up the'greater part of the inside of the end of the pipe 8, puts a brake, before the pipe 8 is entirely shut oil" by the valve, on the travel of the oil through the clearance that it leaves and the oil obvious y follows the path of least resistance, it travels therefore through the passage 3 and goes into the air-chamber.

In the two above embodiments, as will be seen in contradistinction with the arrangements embodied in standard devices such as that of Fig ure 1, the oil inlet 2 is located at the lower portion of the valve chamber below the level of the passage 3 connecting the valve-chamber 9 and the air-chamber while the outlet formed by the opening of the pipe 8 is placed in the upper portion. All the air bubbles collecting in the pipe I1, that are compressed there and that are drawn along by the oil naturally rise and escape through the pipe 8 and especially the greater portion of them will travel through the passage 3 where they mingle with the air that is present in the air chamber. Any air pressure inside the valve-chamber, therefore, is eliminated, result" ing in cutting out the inconvenience pointed out at (b) at the beginning of the present specification.

Naturally, my invention is not restricted to the arrangements disclosed above, on the other hand it includes all the modifications founded on the same principles and falling within the scope of accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

l. A one shot lubricator including a chamber provided with two openings in vertical alignment and with a lateral opening, a lubricant-supplying pipe and a lubricant distributing pipe con nected respectively with the lower and upper aligned openings, an air damper chamber communicating with the lateral opening of the first chamber, a double Valve system adapted to reciprocate vertically inside the first chamber and to close alternatingly the openings communicating with the supply and distributing pipes, an upper annular extension on the valve, the outer sur face of which engages with a slight clearance the inner surface of the first chamber and provided with a radial perforation registering with the lateral opening in the first chamber when the valve is in its position closing the opening communicating with the supply pipe, an extension of the distributing pipe entering the first chamber and lying coaxially inside the upper extension of the valve at a distance from the inner wall of said extension suificient to provide a passage for the lubricant between the two extensions and a spring urging the valve into engagement with the opening communicating with the supply pipe.

2. A one shot lubricator including a chamber provided with two openings in vertical alignment and with a lateral opening at a level located between the two said vertically aligned openings,

a lubricant-supplying pipe and a lubricant distributing pipe connected respectively with the lower and upper aligned openings, an air damper chamber communicating with the lateral opening of the first chamber, a double valve system the outer wall of which is fitted with a slight clearance inside the inner wall of the first chamber to provide a passage of restricted cross-sectional area towards the opening communicating with the distributing pipe, said outer wall defining a hollow upper extension of said valve system, and an extension of the distributing pipe entering the first chamber and lying coaxially inside said upper extension at a distance from the inner surface thereof sufficient to provide a passage for the lubricant between the two extensions, said double valve system being adapted to reciprocate vertically inside the first chamber and to close alternatingly the openings communicating with the supply and distributing pipes and a spring urging the valve into engagement with the opening communicating with the supply pipe, said outer wall of said double valve system being formed with an opening registering with said lateral opening when said lower opening is closed by said double valve system.

3. A one shot lubricator comprising, in combination, a chamber formed with two openings in vertical alignment with each other and with a lateral opening located between said two openings; a lubricant supply pipe and a lubricant distributing pipe respectively connected to and communicating with the lower and upper of said two openings in vertical alignment with each other; an air damper chamber communicating with said lateral opening of said first-mentioned chamber; a double valve system mounted for vertical reciprocation inside said first-mentioned chamber to alternately close said vertically aligned openings; a pair of coaxial tubes respectively connected to said double valve system and said upper opening, one of said tubes being located with clearance about the other of said tubes and being formed with an opening located opposite said lateral opening of said first-mentioned chamber where said double valve system closes said lower opening; and a spring urging said double valve system into engagement with said lower opening of said first-mentioned chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,003,281 Bijur June 4, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 248,672 Great Britain Mar. 11, 1926 250,346 Great Britain Apr. 15, 1926 875,381 France June 22, 1942

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